Gary Bukowski MA CFRE recently made a presentation entitled: Sarah A Reed A Renaissance Woman: Her Spirit Lives on 153 years later. Sarah A Reed was a leader who along with 29 women in Erie, PA helped to create two non profits in 1871, one that would deal with homeless children and the other with a focus on the elderly. I focused on Sarah Reed the woman who was committed to making a difference for the less fortunate throughout her devoted lifetime and she through her leadership truly was a Renaissance Women who truly has left a legacy in Northwestern Pennsylvania.www.sarahreed.org

1. Presented by:
Gary L. Bukowski, MA, CFRE
Associate VP of Development
Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center
Sarah A. Reed:
A Renaissance Woman and How Her
Spirit Lives on 153 Years Later
March 12, 2024 ∙ 7:00 pm ∙ The Woman’s Club of Erie

2. Who Was Sarah A. Reed?
• Sarah Ann Reed was born on March 16, 1838, in Ashtabula, OH, the eighth and
final child born to William and Elizabeth Ingram Smith Reed.
• Sarah Reed’s great-grandparents, Seth and Hannah Reed, arrived by sailing ship
from Buffalo on July 1, 1795, and became the first family to settle in Erie.
• Sarah’s great-uncle, Rufus Reed, built a residence in Erie at the corner of 7th and
State Street, which would later become the first location of The Association for
Improving the Conditions of the Poor and a Home for the Friendless.
• Her many contributions to the Erie community and over 25
organizations spanned her lifetime, from 1838-1934.
• Sarah’s main impact in the community is bookmarked from
Post Civil War – the end of World War I, culminating in
62 years of devoted service as a foundress, volunteer, Board manager,
vice president and president of Erie’s first non-denominational human
services agency, Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center.
Taken from A Legacy of Caring: A Tribute to Sarah A. Reed by Margaret L. Tenpas

3. Sarah A. Reed
"She possessed a unique combination of talents: gentle without weakness; strong and
courageous in convictions; serious in purpose; liberal in gifts; royal in hospitality; regal
in leadership... with deep, essential spirituality...
To be with her was to sit in the sun.“
~Etta B. Schutte, a friend of Sarah's and Board Member of the Home
Entrepreneur
World Traveler
Community Leader
Author
Connector
Devoted Religious Servant Philanthropist
Fundraiser
Teacher
Foundress

4. Sarah A. Reed – A Philanthropist &
Community Leader
 Conducted evening classes for secretaries at her home, launching
the first Businesswomen’s club in Erie
 Involved with the Women’s Auxiliary of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
 Member of the Needlework Guild
 Active in the League of Women Voters
 Active in the Erie County Council of Republican Women
 Active in the Erie Art Club
 Member of the Young Women’s Christian Association
 Active in the Presque Isle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
-Sarah was the Chapter’s 3rd Regent (1907-1923)
 Spearheaded the restoration of the Brig Niagara in 1913 (DAR)
 Participated in the unveiling of the statue of George Washington in 1922 (DAR)
 Involved in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union
 Involved in the erection of the Soldiers & Sailors monument in Perry Square in 1872
 Involved in the Social Consciousness Movement
 Conducted Sunday School lessons in church for many years
• Author of the following books:
1. My Grandmother’s Story and Other Stories
2. Romance of Arlington House
3. The Belated Passenger

5. Sarah A. Reed – A Philanthropist,
Fundraiser & Community Leader

6. Sarah A. Reed – A Philanthropist,
Fundraiser & Community Leader
Aug. 30, 1922 (Waterford, PA) - Miss Sarah Reed,
president of the Presque Isle Chapter of the Daughters
of the American Revolution, pulled the coverings from
the statue of George Washington as the crowd of
15,000 cheered.
Sarah was deeply involved in bringing the Soldiers and Sailors monument to fruition in Perry Square in 1872,
along with Helen Ball and Mrs. Isaac Moorhead. There is a line in her diary that reads, “I signed check for
$9,388.84 payment in full for the monument.”

7. Sarah A. Reed – A World Traveler
1911 - Sarah rides a camel during her visit to Egypt with The Great Sphinx and the Pyramids in
the background. A 1909 travel diary also describes Sarah’s trip to Ireland, England and Scotland.

8. • October 17, 1871: Creation of “The Association for Improving the Conditions
of the Poor and a Home for the Friendless”
• October 24, 1871: Offer by Gen. Charles Manning Reed made the use of the old
family homestead of Rufus Reed available.
• November 2, 1871: The ladies had the home in operation and began securing
gifts of furniture and supplies from the community
• November 7, 1871: The home is now operating with
4 children admitted and 2 more awaiting admission
• November 29, 1871: Their formal charter is granted!
The Beginning of Sarah A. Reed
Children’s Center
Atty. James C. Marshall Rufus Reed Gen. Charles Manning Reed

9. The Beginning of Sarah A. Reed
Children’s Center
• The cost at the time was $1.64 ½ per week, per “inmate”
• Sarah enjoyed finding activities for both the children and the older ladies
to participate in and frequently arranged for street car rides and picnics
for the children. She entertained the older ladies at tea parties in her
own home and hosted annual Christmas parties
Taken from A Legacy of Caring: A Tribute to Sarah A. Reed by Margaret L. Tenpas

10. The Center Moves to the Marine Hospital:
April 10, 1872 - October 1875
1872: The Home moved to the Marine Hospital (known today as the PA Soldiers & Sailors Home). Average in residence: 15

11. Hon. Morrow B. Lowry Gifts Gaggin
Property at 22nd & Sassafras in 1875

12. Hon. Morrow B. Lowry Gifts Gaggin
Property at 22nd & Sassafras in Sept 1875
Portrait of Hon. Morrow B. Lowry that
hangs in the hallway at Sarah Reed
Senior Living. It was painted by Calista
Gara, the second president of our
agency, in appreciation for all that M.B.
Lowry had done and continued to do for
the Home for the Friendless.
Cornerstone ceremony took place October 18, 1875.
Property valued at $10,000 - $15,000 at the time.

13. The Home Operates for 86 Years at the
Gaggin House (1875-1961)

14. Early Days: Sarah Reed Senior Living
By 1953 the name change of the home became visible. The old name plate “Home
for the Friendless” came down from the Children’s Home. The words “Old Ladies
Home” carved over its entrance was removed and the new sign mounted, “Sarah
A. Reed Home.”
Taken from A Legacy of Caring: A Tribute to Sarah A. Reed by Margaret L. Tenpas

15. Erie’s Oldest Non-Denominational
Human Services Agency
• Sarah Reed was involved in this organization for 62 years and served as President
for 45 years (1889-1934). In 1921, the Home for the Friendless celebrated it’s 50th
Anniversary. Sarah was 83 at the time and continued in her role as president for
another 12 years until her death in 1934.
• It was renamed Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center in 1936 in honor of Sarah Reed’s
contributions, a change she would not allow during her lifetime
• Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center is the oldest non-denominational human services
agency in Erie
• In 1961, the Children's Center opened its main campus in Millcreek Township
where treatment could be provided for children with emotional, social, learning
and behavioral problems
Taken from A Legacy of Caring: A Tribute to Sarah A. Reed by Margaret L. Tenpas

16. Sarah Reed Senior Living Today

17. The Children’s Home Moves to Current
Millcreek Location in 1961
Residential Treatment Program: 2445 West 34th Street ∙ Erie, PA 16506

18. Erie’s Oldest Non-Denominational
Human Services Agency
• By 1978, all children referred to the Sarah Reed Residential Treatment
Program required specialized mental health treatment, thus ushering in a
new era of services designed for children.
• In 1986, two independent non-profit corporations formed as Sarah Reed
Children's Center and Sarah Reed Senior Living.
• The endowment fund was split between the two agencies.

19. Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center Today

20. Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center:
Residential & Ridgefield Campuses

21. Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center:
Hamilton Campus
Purchased in 2012 for $876,175 (4.6 acres)

22. 7 Locations Throughout Erie County
• Administrative Offices & Residential Treatment Facility
2445 West 34th Street • Erie, PA 16506
• Ridgefield Campus – Residential School
3227 Highland Road • Erie, PA 16506
• Hamilton Campus
2931 Harvard Road • Erie, PA 16508
– Acute Partial Hospitalization Program
– Partial Hospitalization Program
• St. Ann’s Campus
1020 East 10th Street • Erie, PA 16503
– Sanctuary® Education for Learning Fundamentals (SELF)
– Sanctuary® Based Learning Program (SBLP)
• Outpatient Behavioral Health Services
1611 Peach Street, Suite 185 • Erie, PA 16501
• Emerson-Gridley Campus
816 South Park Avenue • Erie, PA 16502
– Bridges West Alternative Education Program (BAEP)
• East Middle School
1001 Atkins Street • Erie, PA 16503
– Bridges East Alternative Education Program (BAEP)

23. How to Measure the Lives You Touch
"It is easy to estimate the value of the property and tell of the thoroughly
organized institution that has grown out of a venture of faith. But who can estimate
the good it has done or follow its far reaching influences? Volumes would not tell
the story of all the lives it has helped.“
Miss Sarah A. Reed
As Sarah used to say…

24. How Our Agency is Making a Difference
“My husband and I were very impressed by how life-changing Sarah Reed’s Parent-
Child Interaction Therapy is. The therapist helped us communicate more effectively
with our daughter and really helped bridge the gap that existed in our relationship
with her. She responded better to us with everything we asked of her.”
~ A parent who participated in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy at Sarah Reed’s Outpatient Behavioral
Health Program
“I am so happy my son attended Sarah Reed. I see a positive change in him at home
and in his school reports – I am very grateful!”
~ Parent of a student in the SELF Program at Sarah Reed’s St. Ann’s Campus
"I cannot thank all of the staff at Sarah Reed enough. You have made me realize that I
am so much more than my diagnoses. Before coming here, I had no ambition to keep
going. I thought, ‘What is the point of anything?’ But now that thought barely crosses
my mind. I am so grateful that none of you gave up on me. Even when my OWN family
could care less about if I gave up or not, none of the staff here would let me, and I am
eternally grateful for that.”
~ K.V., a student who graduation from Sarah Reed’s Partial Hospitalization Program at the Hamilton Campus

25. Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center
• Since 2018 Sarah Reed’s Residential Treatment Program has served 735
children from 53 counties across Pennsylvania.

26. Sarah Reed’s Role in Erie’s
Comprehensive Plan
Courtesy of Erie Refocused: The City of Erie’s Comprehensive Plan and Community Decision-Making Guide, March 2016

27. New Sensory Room at Hamilton Campus
& Addition of 13 Calming Classrooms
Calming
Classrooms
Sensory Room

28. St. Ann’s Campus Enhancement: Phase 1
COMPLETED
Total Improvements Since May 2022: $504,000
New Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning System
New Classroom & Office Furniture
Technology for the Students & Classrooms
2022 Pulaski-Lighthouse Summer Youth Program
IT Infrastructure Upgrades

29. St. Ann’s Campus:
Sanctuary Garden Transformation
BEFORE (May ‘22)… AFTER (Jul ‘22)!

30. St. Ann’s Campus:
Library Enhancements
BEFORE… AFTER!

31. The Importance of Our St. Ann’s Library
“Beginning the school year, the building’s library was underwhelming. Moving back
to our little school building after being in a centralized location meant that our
books were lost to various moves. We were so excited to have an opportunity to be
donated books from multiple genres and interest points, especially for a group of
students that are reluctant to read in the first place!
We were able to add in literature that piqued the interest of students who refused
to open the pages of a book and make an attempt. The addition of these high
interest options brought a great deal of excitement to our student population and
had teenagers who hadn’t read a single book during the year reading avidly!”
Liz Brown, a clinical instructor at our St. Ann’s Campus

32. Current Major Fundraising Projects
StatusasofMarch4,2024
St. Ann’s Campus Enhancement: Phase 2
Current Goal: $500,000

33. You Can Make a Difference!
https://www.facebook.com/SarahReedCC/videos/688624881843944

34. Upcoming Events
April 29th
Shop Talk: The Art of Psyc-Hairapy (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.) at Greater Calvary Full Gospel Baptist
Church, 2624 German Street in Erie
Getting to the root of trauma, suicide and mental health in the minority community – a
special training program for barbers & hair stylists. Sponsored by Sarah A. Reed Children’s
Center, Black & Brown Communities on Mental Health & Wellness and Greater Calvary Full
Gospel Baptist Church
May 11th
4th Annual Sarah’s Great Giveaway (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.) at Sarah Reed’s St. Ann’s Campus,
1020 East 10th Street in Erie
Sarah Reed Children’s Center collects new and gently used clothing, toys, household items,
small household appliances and more and distributes the items free to the community.
June 26th
2024 Alessi Levan Kebles Virtual Diversity Summit (more details to come)
This is the 4th annual day-long training event that focuses on a variety of topics relating to
diversity, and it is free and open to the public. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Randal
Pinkett, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners. Dr. Pinkett has established himself as an
entrepreneur, speaker, author and scholar, and as a leading voice for his generation in
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

35. Questions & Contact Info
Among the testimonials to Miss Reed, in the minutes of the
Board of Managers, are the following:
“She loved life.”
“She was interested in people for humanity’s sake.”
“She was a definite part of the fabric of this city.”
Tolearnmoreortoscheduleatour,pleasecontact:
GaryL. Bukowski, MA,CFRE
AssociateVPofDevelopment
(814)835-7602
GBukowski@SarahReed.org
Connectwithusonline:
www.SarahReed.org
www.facebook.com/SarahReedCC
www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-a-reed-children's-center/mycompany